Let’s Tech Communicate!

July 2017

Luke Pivac

In this winter edition of Let’s Tech Communicate! we talk about the limitations of treating docs like code, and look at why there’s a big drive towards automation (and what we should do about it). We discover three collaboration tools for technical communicators, and explore DITA. All this and more, from around the 'Net!

Insights

To kick things off, technical writing guru Tom Johnson discusses the limits of treating docs as code. He talks about the problem of making processes a lot more complicated than they need to be if you push the docs-as-code mantra to the limits. After all, as he says, docs differ significantly from code when it comes to release frequency, review processes, and company support.

Meanwhile Phil Davis talks Automation and Documentation: Do More and Be More, explaining why there is this current drive to automation, and what the user advocate’s stand should be. And, let’s face it, in most cases the user advocate is… us!

Finally Mark Baker explores the ideas of structured writing and free trade. As you read on you’ll soon discover how complexity is a common theme in both ideas.

Tools and Methods

In the Tools and Methods section, Nicky Bleiel highlights three collaboration tools for technical communicators which include GitHub, Slack, and Mural. This is a very good read, so please enjoy!

Then Eliot Kimber provides a very good and approachable article called what is DITA?

Bit of Fun

Finally, a bit of fun. Ever thought that there could be a social network exclusively for technical communicators? Unlikely as that might seem, you betcha! See Technical Writing World.

Until next time, happy technical communicating!

Luke Pivac



TechCommNZ member